A Night Out
by AmyNChan
Summary: This is a date between Cassie and Tuff. I hope you all enjoy! Happy Birthday, Purpleluva01!


_**14AmyChan: I couldn't figure out what to write.**_

_**Cassie: So she wrote this.**_

_**14AmyChan: Happy Birthday, Purpleluva01! I don't own Arch!**_

Not much could be said for the routine live of Cassandra, commonly referred to as 'Cassie'. Ever since the Raven incident almost ten years ago, her life had been moving quite smoothly. There were very little bumps in her proverbial road, and even less danger.

"Claire, what are you trying to teach my children?" Cassie wondered aloud slowly. The girl she had helped to raise—now a beautiful woman of eighteen—sat with Cassie's own five year old daughter in her lap, and three year old son beside her. The babysitter in question shot the concerned mother an innocent look, one Cassie knew not to take at first glance.

"I'm just trying to teach them the dangers of the angry Spindle," she answered dutifully. Moira stifled her giggles behind her petite hand, while Bicker laughed gaily. Cassie 'tsk'ed disapprovingly, but soon found herself smiling with the children. A familiar presence entered the room.

"You'll make sure they all stay in line, won't you?" she asked of the book, who simply gave her a look. It seemed offended that Cassie would _dare_ to ask such a simple question. "Of course you will."

Bookie nodded and shooed Cassie out of the door.

Cassie strolled lightly out of the door, her destination already set in her mind. It was a lovely restaurant that was refreshingly non-discriminatory. Perhaps because it was the private restaurant of the King, and he had taken great care to hire only those with an open mind and a great attitude towards _all_ customers.

"Hello, welcome to Food of the Many Islands. May I help you?" the friendly server asked, a smile on her face. Cassie smiled in return. The woman was obviously Quilotian, and held a sincere smile in place.

"Yes, my husband said he would meet me here and that he already had a table?" the blue-skinned girl inquired. She almost picked at the dress she was wearing, if it were not for the fact that she did not want it ruined. This _was_, after all, her favorite dress and worn only for special occasions.

"Ah, I see," the woman replied brightly, a smile on her face. She turned back to Cassie. "Well, Miss Cassie, your husband was an absolute gentleman when he set the reservation. You sure did catch a good one."

"More like he caught me," Cassie chuckled. The server—whose name Cassie learned was Lola—brought the fish-woman to a quiet table. Cassie thanked Lola before she left to get two waters for the couple.

"Sorry I was late," a handsome sharkman said with his gentlemanly manners intact. Cassie knew he was not late at all, but had an inkling as to where this was going, so she played along.

"It's okay, I wasn't waiting long," she smiled. Tuff held out her chair and she graciously accepted his offer. They both looked at their menus for a moment when she noticed his hand was out on the table. With a smile—reminiscent of a few years gone—she gently laid her hand atop his.

Tuff turned his hand over softly and encased hers. They both smiled.

Dinner was a quiet, yet very pleasant, affair. A few stories were reminisced, many laughs shared. They talked of everyday life and enjoyed the company of each other. When the tab came after dessert, Tuff gingerly took the check before Cassie could spot it, though she had already calculated the amount in her mind. Still, his thoughtfulness was very sweet.

"Where are we going now?" she asked when he led her out of the restaurant—Lola waving them off with the same sincere smile. Tuff offered her a small smile.

"It's a surprise," he answered, and she was only too happy to allow his lead. They strolled through the streets of Quilotia, almost serene in the twilight. Cassie smiled as she remembered the past ten years. It had been filled with good, bad, ugly, and beautiful. She leaned her head on Tuff's reliable shoulder, at peace.

It was several minutes before they arrived at the threshold of the building they were intending to go to. Cassie smiled in remembrance.

"The library," she whispered as Tuff brought her inside. One of their shared passions was reading, and he had taken her to this place on a very special night perhaps seven years ago. It was all so very familiar...except—

"Tuff, that wasn't there yesterday," Cassie stated, looking at the perfectly conspicuous white drape over the name of the library. That drape should be covering the words _Public Library_, blocking the innocent words from view. Tuff chuckled nervously.

"Mikel was asking Riley and I for new idea names for the library," he explained. Cassie's ears perked and she turned around.

"Oh? What did you guys decide on?" she asked, interested. Tuff chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Cassie blanched. "Please tell me you didn't do something really silly and name the library after me or someone, did you?"

Tuff laughed. "No, we didn't. The thought crossed my mind, though," he admitted. Cassie giggled with him. He must have known she would not like the extra attention that having the library named after you would garner. She looked up at the mysterious white drape again

"So, what did you name it?" she inquired again. Tuff chuckled nervously as he withdrew the tarp for only her to see. She gasped as she recognized the significance of the new name of the library. The first thing they had properly talked about and connected over in the midst of all the danger and havoc of Raven and the Heirs.

"Happy Anniversary," Tuff stated, and Cassie simply turned to him and wrapped him up in her arms. She felt absolutely thrilled when he returned the gesture, allowing the white drape to billow back over the _Lorence Adventure Library_'s sign.

_**14AmyChan: Okay, I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if it's a bit late! Gotta dash back to school! /shot XDD**_

_**Tuff: Please read and review!**_


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